Vending machine



July'13, 1943. H, B. STONER EI'AL 2,324,040

SVENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1938 12 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. B. STONER ET AL Jul 13, 1943.

VENDING MACHINE.

Filed Dec. 51,

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H. B. STONER ET AL VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1938 12 Sheets-Sheet 5 Kai 022;"

July 13, 1943. 5 STONER ET AL 2,324,040

VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1938 12 Sheets-Sheet 6 July 13, 1943; H. B.-$TONER ET AL VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1958 12 Sheets-Sheet "7 July 13, 1943. H. B. STONEYR ET AL VENDING MACHINE 12 Sheets-She et 8 Filed Dec. 51, 1938 Mzziozis.

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" VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1938' 12 Sheets-Sheet l1 Men/@215 July 13, 1943.

H. B. STONER ET AL VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 51, 1938 12 Sheets-Sheet 12 Patented July 13, 1943 VENDING MACHINE Harry B. Stoner and Robert D. Stayton, Aurora,

111., assignors to Stoner Manufacturing Corporation, Aurora, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 31, 1938, Serial No. 248,658

14 Claims.

This invention relates generally to vending machines, and more particularly, to machines of this character manually operated by the customer, and has for one of its objects to provide a machine which will permit a customer to choose from several varieties of goods to be purchased, and in which a single coin-control mechanism will be provided to control all the several discharge mechanisms.

Another object of the invention is toprovide in a vending machine of the character described, novel and improved means, whereby if a customer, before completing the purchase should decide not to obtain the goods, he may have the deposited coins refunded.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a vending machine of the character described, novel and improved means for retaining several varieties of goods to be vended at different prices,

and a single coin-control mechanism for con-' trolling the several discharge mechanisms, said goods being arranged in different stacks, and novel and improved means for adjusting the discharge mechanism from said stacks, whereby the same will be operative to discharge only articles at a predetermined price.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a vending machine of the character described, a novel and improved means for actuating the discharge mecham'sms, said discharge mechanisms being readily adjustable so as to render the same responsive to either a single coin or to a plurality of coins of the same denomination.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a machine of the character described, novel and improved means whereby when one of the discharge mechanisms is being actuated, all of the other vending or discharge mechanisms will be locked against operation, thereby rendering it impossible to actuate more than one discharge mechanism at the same time.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a machine of this character, novel and improved means for indicating to the operator when a certain stack of merchandise is empty.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a machine of the character described, novel and improved means for maintaining the merchandise therein, said means including stacks containing horizontally disposed shelves upon which the merchandise may be arranged, and novel and improved means for causing said shelves to be successively tilted or dropped from their horizontal position, in order to release the merchandise disposed thereon.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination or parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating the understanding of our invention, we have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a-preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, our invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its'advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational'view of a vending mechanism embodying the present invention, with parts thereof being broken away to more clearly illustrate details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same with portions thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of the same with parts thereof bein broken away to more clearly illustrate constructional details;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the discharge mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of one of the plungers and its associated carriage;

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the right-hand portion of the device, with the plunger controlling the delivery of merchandise from the extreme right-hand stack being shown pulled out its maximum extent;

Fig. 9 is an elevational view of the coin-control mechanism with portions of the front plate thereof being cut away to more fully illustrate constructional details;

Fig. 10 is a rear elevational view of the coincontrol mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view throughthe coincontrol mechanism taken substantially on line Fig. 12 is a rear elevational view of the upper part of one of the stacks;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the rear of one of the stacks with the release mechanism not shown;

Fig. 14 is a view in perspective of an intermediate portion of one of the vertical release numbers;

Fig. 15 is a view in perspective of one of the horizontally disposed shelves;

Fig. 16 is a view in perspective of a portion of the guide member;

Fig. 17 is a view in perspective of a portion of the rear support member;

Fig. 18 is a view in perspective of one of the shelf releasing mechanisms;

Fig. 19 is a view in perspective of one of the actuating cams or pivoted lever members fully assembled;

Fig. 20 is a View in perspective of one of the extreme righthand actuating cams or pivoted lever members detached from its associated bar;

Fig. 20A is a similar view of a modified form of the cam or pivoted lever member;

Fig. 21 is a view in perspective of the sliding head of the coin-control mechanism;

Fig. 22 is a View in perspective of the spring release member of the coin-control mechanism;

Fig. 23 is a side elevational view of the present device installed within a cabinet, with portions thereof broken away and in section;

Fig. 24 is a perspective View of the device embodied in cabinet, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 23.

Referring to the drawings more specifically by characters of reference, the reference character l designates generally a stack of which there may be several arranged side by side in the device, and within which are mounted a plurality of shelves or platforms I disposed in spaced relation one above the other to provide a plurality of compartments or cavities |2, said shelves or platforms I! being hingedly mounted adjacent one side thereof in a manner to be hereinafter more fully described.

The stacks are formed from single longitudinal plates which are bent perpendicularly along one side to form the rear wall l3 and the side wall i l. The front portion is formed by bending the edge opposite to the rear wall |3 parallel to and in the same direction as that wall, as shown at l5, and then bending this edge further upon itself as at l6, so as to bring the same around against the side wall M as at H. This forms the upstanding front angle I8, from which ears l9 are formed, said ears being pierced for the reception of the platform pintle 20.

The rear walls I3 of the said stacks are further bent perpendicularly as at H so as to lie adjacent the corresponding side wall of the next adjacent stack. At the bottom of the side wall l4, there is provided an opening M, which opening is for the purpose of facilitating the servicing of the device. The opening I4 is of such a size as to permit the insertion of a finger or the like therethrough for lifting the bottom platform or shelf II when the stack has been emptied of merchandise, so that said platform will catch on the bottom release member and will be held in a raised position by said member in the manner to be hereinafter more fully described.

The stacks are attached at their front ends to a suitable guide member 2| by welding or the like, as shown at 22', said guide member being substantially channel shaped in section with the top arm of said channel being longer than the bottom arm and being provided with guide slots 22, adjusting slots 23 and openings 24, said openings being provided for the accommodation of shafts 25. All of said openings and slots are spaced along the top of said guide member for cooperation with the operating mechanisms for the several stacks H], which mechanisms will be hereinafter more fully described.

The lower flange of the guide member 2| is attached by any suitable means, such as screws and nuts 2|, to the top of the actuating mechanism support 21, said lower flange being provided with recesses 25 which cooperate with similarly placed slots 28 in the actuating mechanism support 21 for the guiding of the actuating bars 29.

The actuating mechanism support 21 comprises a substantially channel shaped member, with the base of the channel forming the top 30 of the support 21, and the arms of the channel section comprising the side walls of the support, the front wall 3|, and the rear wall 32. The ends of the support are formed by bending downwardly continuations of the top 30 to form the walls 33 and 34. The front wall 3| of the actuating mechanism support is provided with the openings 35, spaced in accordance with the arrangement of the stacks l0, said openings being of such diameter as to slidably accommodate the plungers 36. The rear wall 32 is provided with rectangular openings 31, said openings being of greater diameter than, but forming continuations of, the slots 28, and being provided for the purpose of accommodating the end 38 of the plunger carriage, which is generally designated by the reference character 39. The top 30 of the actuating mechanism support 21 is provided with a plurality of outwardly punched ears 40, which form sliding guides for the limiting bars 4|. The rear walls l8 of the stacks |0 are attached at their lowermost edges by welding or other means to the rear support member designated generally by the reference character 42, said rear support members being provided with a downwardly extending flange 43 on one side and an upwardly extending flange 44 along the opposite side. The attachment of the stacks is to the flange 44. The support member is provided with the openings 45 for the accommodation of the lower ends 46 of the vertical release members 41. The ends 48 and 49 of the rear support member 42 are in-' tegrally formed and open from the body of the said member 42. The right end 48 is provided with the flange 5|] extending parallel to the support member and being provided with openings to accommodate screws 5| for fastening the support to the lower flange 52 of the coin mechanism 53 by means of the nuts 54.

The opposite end 49 of the rear support member 42 bears against and is fastened to the left side support plate 55 by means of the screws and nuts 56.

The left support plate 55 is provided with a flange 51 extending its entire length and is fastened to the front mechanism support 21 by means of the screws 58 and associated nuts. The front edge of the left support 55 is recessed at 59 to permit ease in formation of the flange 50. Said flange 60 is pierced to provide a plurality of openings 6| for attachment of the ends of the mechanism springs 62. The right end 34 of the front mechanism support 21 is attached to the coin mechanism 53 by means of screws GI and associated nuts.

The stacks ID are maintained in fixed relationship to one another and to the. supporting members at the bottom of the stacks as hereinabove described. These stacks are further tied together at their top portions by means of a tie strip 62', which is fastened along the'frontof the stacks adjacent the uppermost ends of the flanges I8 by welding or in some other suitable manner. The stacks are further maintained in fixed relationship by reason of their being fastened by welding or other means to the upper release member support 63. The said support 63 is of channeled cross-section for transverse bending strength, and is provided with a plurality of embossed openings 65, which provide sockets for the maintenance of the upper end of the vertical release members 17.

It will be noted that by reason of their construction, the stacks l will be open on their right sides. This open side, however, will be closed by the side wall M of the next adjacent stack, except the stack on the extreme right-hand side, which stack, however, will be closed by the substantially rectangular plate 85, said plate being permanently secured in place by welding or in some other suitable manner.

It will be seen from the above description how the framework and supporting structures are formed for the device, and it will be also apparent that the construction of the framework is such as to lend itself to be manufactured entirely by stamping operations.

The actuating mechanism comprises the plunger 36 provided with a handle or knob 66 at its forward end and with a circumferential groove 61 at its opposite end, said groove accommodating the end 38 of the plunger carriage 3 9. A helical coil spring 63 is provided between the carriage end 38 and the front wall 3| of the support 2'! for normally urging the plunger inwardly or to the right as viewed in Fig. 6. The plunger carriage 39 consists of a supporting plate member 69, one end of which is bent downwardly to form the portion 38. Said portion 33 is cut and pierced as at ill, so that the sections thus formed may be spread to accommodate the end of the plunger and are then bent back to shape, thus fixedly engaging the groove 51 and serving to support the carriage 39. Upon the plate 69 are supported the guide strips H, which are of slightly lesser width than the slots 28 within which said guide strips are adapted to be guided. There is disposed upon this guide strip H a rider plate it, which is of greater width than the diameter of the slot 28. The three plates 69, H and i2 are fixedly secured to each other in any suitable and well-known manner, such, for example, as by means of a rivet 73 adjacent one end thereof, and the other end of said plates are secured to each other by means of the reduced portion 14 formed on the lower end of the actuating bar 2%, said reduced portion performing the function of a rivet for holding said plate members together. The carriage is adapted to carry and operate the rod 15, which connects the release mechanism with the actuating mechanism. The rod 15 extends through a slot 16 formed in the end 3%} of the carriage 39 and thence through an opening Tl drilled through the carriage plates 69, H and H. The end of the rod 15, as shown in Fig. 6, is bent at right angles to provide the upstanding portion 18 which extends through the opening H, as shown in said Fig. 6.

The forward end of the rider plate 12 is formed as a wedge '58 adapted to engage the recess i9 formed betweenthe abutting edg.es:of'the'.limit-.

ing bars 4|. It will be noted in'Fig. 4' that each of the limiting barshas a portion cut away adjacent one cornerthereof, as shown at 80, to form this recess 19. As explained above,. the limiting bars are guided by. a. plurality of ears struck up from the-actuating mechanism support 21. The said bars 4| are normallyurged to the right, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4 by the action exerted on said bars by means of the spring 8|, one end of which spring engages within an opening 32 in the limiting bar 4|, which is disposed at the extreme left-hand end of the device, and the other end of which spring engages in an opening 83 formed in the mechanism support 21.

The spring 8| is coiled about the lower portion of the shaft-25' of the cam mechanism furthest to the left of the device as best shown in Fig. 2. The force exerted by the spring 8| is transmitted to all of the limiting bars 4| by reason of their abuttingeach other, and the motion in that direction is limited by the bar 84, which is fixed to the support 27 at itsextreme right end perpendicularly to'the limiting bars 4|, as shown .in Fig. 2.

The purpose of the limiting bars 4| is to prevent any other plunger from being pulled forward when any one plunger is pulled forward. This is done in the following manner: When one of the plungers 36 is pulled forward the rider wedge 18' engages the recess 19 and as the plunger is pulled forward to the limit of its forward motion, the rider plate will, force all bars 4| disposed on its left to move in that direction. The result of this movement, will be to place the corners of the bars 4| directly in the paths of all of the rider wedges 18' which are to the left of the plunger which has been pulled forward, preventing these other plungers' from being pulled forward.

Now, the bars 4| disposed to the right of the plunger 36, which has been pulled forward, are prevented against movement to the right by the bar 8 t, .andagainst movement to the left by the rider bar 12 of the particular plunger carriage 39, which has been pulled forward. The rider bar '52 is now disposed between the abutting edges of a pair of the bars 4|, as viewed in Fig. 4, in which position it will, of course, be effective for preventing movement to the left of any of the limiting bars disposed on its right. Thus, it will be seen that only one plunger can be pulled forward at any one time.

Positioned upon each of the shafts 25 and disposed between the support 2! and the guide'memb er 2| are a plurality of cam or pivoted lever members 86. In the embodiment shown, there are three of such cam or pivoted lever members 86 disposed upon each of the shafts 25. But, it is understood that the device is not limited to that particular number of cam or pivoted lever members, as any desired number may be employed, depending upon the price at which the articles disposed within the stacks are to be sold. The cam or pivoted lever members 86 arranged on any particular shaft 25 are, as will be hereinafter more fully explained, adapted to operate either singly or in combinations of two or more. Each of said cams is formed integrally with a downwardly bent spaced bracket 87, provided with an opening 88, which is'disposed in alignment with a similarly shaped opening 89 formed in the body of the cam member 86, said openings being provided for the accommodation 'of the shaft25. said openings 88 and 89 are provided with bosses 90 and 9 respectively-,io-iorm lbBfif-F- ings for the cam member 86 around the shaft 25.

The cam members 86 disposed at the extreme right end of the device are provided with an outwardly extending arm 92, as shown in Figs. 2 and 8 and in the broken lines of Fig. 20, said arm 92 being provided with a roller 93, which is riveted in place and which serves to engage the jaws of a portion of the coin-control mechanism to be hereinafter more fully described.

Each cam member is also provided with a jaw 94, which serves to engage the actuating bar 29. In addition to the jaw 94, the cam members arranged in the bottom row of each of the assemblies may be provided with an additional jaw 95, as shown in Fig. 20A. Thus, it will be noted that the entire bottom row of cams would be provided with two integrally formed jaws for engaging the actuating bar 29. The cam members 88 are each further provided with a movable member 95, comprising a jaw 91 having a downwardly bent flange 98, a body portion 99 and two cars bent up from the body portion at I and IIJI. The ear I3I slides along an extension I02 of appropriate shape provided therefor on the cam 86. The ear I90 extends through an arcuate slot I03 formed in the cam 86 and is provided with an opening I4, through which passes an arm Ie5 of a coil spring I98, the other arm I01 of which is held by ear Hi8 struck up from the cam member 88 and an opening I09 formed in the cam for the end of the arm I01. Obviously when the type of member 86 shown in Fig. 20A is used in the bottom row, there is no need for a movable member St to be associated with said members 86.

The spring I06 is arranged by reason of the bend IIEi to normally retain the movable member 96 in the position shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 4, with the jaw 91 substantially out of the path of the bar 29 when it is pulled forward. with the bar 29, the ear It! is moved to the left, as viewed in Fig. 19, causing the jaw 91 to swing out and into a position approximating that of the jaw 95 provided on the lowermost cam in each assembly. The ear I9 will move to the left and will be held there by reason of the arm H of the spring I06 and will be held in such position by the bend provided in said spring at H0.

The movable member 96 and its associated cam member 36 are pivotally attached by the pin III, which also attaches the same to a transverse bar II2, there being three of such transverse bars, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, one for each horizontally disposed row of cam members 86. The bars II2 extend substantially across the entire length of the device and are normally urged to the left, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, by the coiled springs 62, which springs are attached at one end to the flange '69, as explained above, and at their other ends to the bars II2 by means of pins II3 secured to said bars. Thus, the cams are swung around in a clockwise direction, as viewed from above by the spring 62 cooperating with the bars H2, and the motion of the cams 36 in this direction is limited by the outer side of the jaws 94 bearing against the back wall of the guide member 2|, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

From the above, it will be noted that as one of the cam members 86 in any row of cams is swung around by the actuating bar 29 of its plunger carriage 39, it causes the transverse bar [[2 of that particular row to move to the right. This causes the cam 86, which is on the extreme right of the device and in the same row, to be If it is desired that the cam shall engage moved in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed from the above, causing the roller 93 on the arm 92 to engage the jaws of a portion of the coincontrolled mechanism for a purpose to b now more fully described.

The coin-control mechanism is generally designated by the reference character 53 and comprises a main plate II4 to which is attached an auxiliary plate I I5 by means of the screws H6 and associated nuts I I1. The openings for the screws I I B are struck inwardly in the plate member I I5 forming the bosses I I8, as shown in Fig. 9. The openings II9, which are provided through the plates H4 and H5 are also struck downward to form bosses similar to the bosses H8. The bosses maintain the plates I I4 and I I 5 in spaced relationship with the distance between them being slightly greater than the coin for which the mechanism is designed.

In the embodiment shown, the space between the plates is of a size to correspond to the thickness of a five cent piece. The main plate II 4 is substantially rectangular in shape and is provided at its bottom with a flange 52, which is further provided with openings I for the accommodation of the screws 54, which secure the coin-control mechanism to the rest of the device. The central portion of the plate I I4 is cut out at its upper side to provide for the attachment thereto of a coin chute !23. This coin chute is of standard construction, and as the same forms no part of the present invention, it is not thought necessary to describe the same in more detail.

The coin chute I23 is attached to the plate II4 by means of a pair of ofiset extensions I2I and I22 provided on the plate II4, said extensions having openings provided therein for the reception of the screws and nuts I 24 by means of which the coin chute is rigidly secured in operative position on the device. The plate I I4 is provided with a pair of inwardly extending spaced ears I26 and I21, within which is mounted a shaft I28, said shaft being held in place in said ears by the cotter pins I29 and washers I30 interposed between said pins and ears. Mounted upon the shaft I28 are three spring release members I3I. Each of said members I3I i substantially channel shaped in cross-section, the channel arms I32 being shaped at one end to form ears I33 provided with openings I34 for slidably engaging the shaft I28.

Two lugs are struck down from the body of the member I3I, one of said lugs I35 extending perpendicularly therefrom and being formed at the free end thereof and the other of said lugs I36 being arranged at an acute angle to the body of the member, as shown in Fig. 22. The plates H4 and H5 are drilled at I31 to allow the lugs I35 to project through and are further drilled with holes I38 of slightly larger diameter than the holes I31 to allow the lugs I36 to project through the plates. Each of the release members I3I is provided with a coiled spring I39 which is maintained about the shaft I 28 between the ears I33 with one arm I40 of said spring bearing against the plate I I 4 and the other arm I4I bearing against the member I3I in such a manner that the member I3I is normally urged to bear against the plate I I4.

The plate H4 is further provided with a plurality of relatively narrow slots I42 for the accommodation of the sliding members I 43. One of these members is shown in perspective in Fig. 21. Each of the members I43 consists of an angle portion I44 and the coin actuating portion I45.

The angle portion is provided with a bent over portion I 46, which is adapted to engage one of the slots I42. One end of the bent over portion is provided with integrally formed jaws I41, which are 'adapted to slidably engage one of the rollers 93 provided on the arm 92 of the cams 86 disposed at the extreme right of the device, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. To the lowermost one of the sliding members I43 is secured a substantially rectangular shaped plate I50 by means of rivets I49, the lower edge of said plate member being serrated, as shown at II, for a purpose to be presently more fully described, said member I56 being spaced from the face of said member I 43 by means of the rectangular spacing member I5 I Each of the members I43 is provided with a coin portion I45 of substantially the same width as the diameter of the coin for which the mechanism is designed. By reason of the recess I53 on the end of the portion I45, two prongs I54 are formed which are adapted to push the coin against the lug I36. It will be seen that the portion I45 is somewhat offset from the bent portion I44, as shown at I55 and I56.- Thus, when a plurality of the members I43 are placed on top of one another, the bottom edge of the portion I44 of one will rest on the portion I46 of the one immediately below it. With the plurality of the slide membersI43 arranged as above described, it will be seen that it is possible to move any member to the right or left, providing that all of the members below that particular member are also moved. However, if an attempt is made to move any member without moving all of the'members below it, th offset portion I55 on the bottom of one member is stopped by the offset portion I56 of the member directly below it which has not been simultaneously moved.

In the operation of the coin-control mechanism, motion of the sliding members I43 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 9, is limited by the bottom edge I5? of the recess l53'bearing against the lugs 535. When a coin is dropped into the device, it passes through the coin chute and down between the two plates I I4 and I I5 between the sets of screws II6, between the lugs I35 and I36, and comes to rest on the member I58, as shown in Fig. 9, in which position the coin will be disposed in the path of the lowermost sliding member I43'and between the lugs I35 and I36 of the member l3! disposed directly opposite this lowermost sliding member I43, and any additional coins dropped into the coin chute would be disposed directly above the lowermost coin in th positions shown in Fig. 9.

As the lowermost sliding member I43 is now moved to the right, as viewed in Fig. 9, by reason of one of the lower cam members 86 actuating the lowermost bar H2 and transmitting this motion to the roller 93which engages the jaws E4? of the lowermost sliding'bar I43'andcauses such motion as shown in Fig. 8, the coin will be pushed against the slanting portion of the lug I36 by the prongs I54 which at this time project beyond the lug 235 to facilitate this action. The lowermost spring release member I 3| will thus be pushed away from the plate II I against the action of the spring I39, causing the lug I35 to also move outward and permit the sliding memer M9 to move the length of its stroke, which will bring the bent-over portion I45" against the end of the slot M2 and the plate H4. 7

In the meantime, the member I53 upon which the lowermost coin had been supported, will have been moved to permit the coin to drop and to be deposited in a receptacle provided therefor. From its position on the member I58, the coin D will be pushed into the coin guide I59, said guide being formed integral with a cover member I60, which cover member is secured to the plate II4 by means of screws and nuts engaging the holes I62 formed in the member I60 and the plate II4.

It will be noted that where a plurality of coins has been placed in the device and the operator is desirous of purchasing a commodity which requires more than the motion of one cam member 06 of the desired assembly, the desired plunger is pulled out and by reason of the movable jaws 9! of the cams 86 on the assembly being arranged for engagement with the actuating rod 29, a plurality of the bars II2 will move to cause a similar number of the cams 86 in the extreme right-hand assembly to operate a corresponding number of rollers 93, which, in turn, will engage a corresponding number of the sliding members I43 to move the same to permit the depositing of the required number of coins simultaneously into the coin guide I59, thereby permitting the strokes of the sliding members I43 to be completed.

The motion of any or all of the sliding members I43 must be completed to the ends of the strokes to prevent fraudulent manipulation of the device, and this is accomplished by the following mechanism:

Pivotally mounted on the plate H5 is a pawl I52, the operating portion I63 of which is substantially rectangular in shape and includes the two corner portions I64 and I65. The pawl I62 is rotatably mounted by means of the rivet I66 and is maintained so that the operating portion I63 is normally in a vertical position by reason of the pull exerted thereon by a pair of coiled springs I61, which springs are attached to cars I69 provided on the pawl member I62 and to ears I68 struck up from the plate member H5. In operation, as the member I43 is moved to the right, the serrated edge I5I of the member I50 will engage the pawl I62 and move the same in a clockwise direction until the corner I64 engages the serrations I5I, in which position the member I50 can continue moving to the right, but if this movement is stopped while the pawl I52 is still in engagement with the serrations I5I, the motion cannot be reversed to the left because of the engagement of the pawl corner I64 with said serrations. However, when the stroke of the member I43 has been completed to such an extent that the member I50 has moved past the pawl I62, the pawl will again assume its normal substantially vertical position. When the stroke is reversed, the pawl member I62 will again be effective to prevent anything but a completed stroke for the member I43.

At the extreme right-hand side of the actuating mechanism support 21, the plunger 36 is arranged and disposed in the same manner as the other plungers 36. Thi is shown more clearly in Fig. 8. This plunger 36 is not adapted for engagement with a cam assembly and consequently does not in operation serve to actuate the bars H2 for the purpose described hereinbefore. The plunger carriage associated with the plunger 35' and designated by the reference character 39, is provided with a connecting rod I5 in the same manner as the rod 15 is connected to the other carriages, but the bar 29 i merely employed for the purpose of connecting the carriage 39' to the plate I2. The connecting rod I5 is attached to the coin return lever I1I by means of a crank arm I12 formed on the end of said rod 15 and engaging within an opening I13 within the coin return lever I1 I.

The coin return lever IN is rotatably riveted at I14 n the plate I I4 and its lower end engages in a slot I15 provided in an offset portion I16 of a sliding bar I11. (See Fig. 10.) The upper end of the lever I1I is provided with a roller I1 I and has attached thereto adjacent its upper end a coil spring I'II", one end of which spring is secured to the coin chute I23 and the other end of which is secured to said lever I1I, said spring being effective for normally urging the rod 15 and the bar I11 to the left, as seen in Fig. 10.

To the bar I11 is fixedly secured a flange I18 by means of the screws and nuts I19, said flange being formed integral with th sliding member I6I hereinafter referred to, said member I6I being disposed against the plate I I and be ng held in position against said plate member H5 by means of the cover member I59. (See Fig. 11.) At the free end of the bar I11 i secured the plate member I58, which extends through a slot I83 provided in the plate member H4 and H5, said member I58, as already explained, being adapted to support the coins deposited between the plate members II4 and II5 to hold the same in the position shown in Fig. 9 prior to the actuation of any of the plungers for releasing the mechanism.

The member I6I is adapted to ride within a slot I 8| provided therefor in the plate member II4, as shown more clearly in Fig. 9, and the leading edge of said member I6I is provided with a plurality of recesse I82 adapted for clearing the lugs I36 to thereby allow the member I6I to push any coins which have become stuck under these lugs into the path provided for said coins between the lugs I35 and I35, which path will now be open by reason of the member I58 having been moved to the left at the same time as the member IBI has been moved. Movement of the member I58 is permitted by reason of its disposition within the slot I83 provided in the plate member II4.

From the above, it will be apparent that if the operator has deposited the coin in the mechan sm and is desirous of getting the same back, or if he has placed other than a proper coin in the coin chute and it has been held or has become jammed therein by reason of the mechanism provided therefor in the coin chute, he actuates the plunger 39'.

If the coin has been jammed in the coin chute, the roller IN on the lever I1I upon the actuation of the plunger 36 w ll engage a member I12 which actuate the coin release of the coin chute, thereby causing a fraudulent or improper coin which may have become stuck therein to drop through a return chute I14-, from which it may be discharged into a special receptacle 240 provided therefor, from which receptacle the operator can retrieve it. Simultaneously with the movement of the lever I1I upon the actuat on of the plunger 36', there will be a movement of the bar I11 which will carry with it the members I58 and IBI.

Movement of the member I58 will remove the support from under the coins disposed between the rows of lugs I35 and I36, allowing said coins to drop into the return chute I59 and thence to the receptacle 240 provided for the depositing of said coins. If the coin has become jammed in the space between the lug I36 and the plate member II4, a member I 6| will be effective to release said coins and to permit them to drop into said chute I59.

The tie rods 15 are all provided with crank ends I12, as explained above, in connection with the coin release mechanism, and these ends I12 are adapted to engage an opening I84 provided therefor in the cam member I85. (See Fig. 13.) Each cam member I85 is fixedly attached to a plate member I85 by means of the screw and nut I81 and the washer I88. The members I66 and I85 ar both provided with registering openings for receiving the shaft 46 and the member I86 i fixedly secured to said shaft by means of welding or in some other suitable and well-known manner.

It will be noted that as the rod 15 reciprocates back and forth in the operation of the device, the shaft 46 will have imparted thereto a corresponding movement to rotate the same within the opening 45 provided in the support member 42. The rods 15 pass through slots I89 formed in the upstanding flange 44 of the rear support member 42. Each of said slots is provided with an extension I 90 of substantially reduced diameter, which extensions are adapted to accommodate and clear the arm I9I of the cam member I65. The upstanding flange 44 is also provided with a pair of struck-up guide lugs I92 which accommodate the lower substantially U- shaped portion I93 of the vertically disposed rod I94. This rod I94 is maintained in its position by the lugs I92 and a plurality of struck-up ears I95 spaced along the wall I3.

The uppermost end of the rod I94 is provided with a substantially perpendicularly bent portion I96 which extends through an elongated slot I91 provided in the rear wall I3 of the stack, and is adapted to rest upon the uppermost platform or shelf I I when said shelf is in its normally horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

In operation, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, when the final. bar of candy or other commodity is vended from any one of the stacks and the uppermost platform or shelf II has dropped from its horizontal to its vertical position, the bent portion I96 of the rod I94 will drop to the position shown by the dot and dash lines of Fig. 13. When in this position, it will be seen that the lower U-shaped portion I93 of the rod I94 will be in a position overlaying the slot extension I90, and will be disposed in the path of the arm I9I, thus preventing the rod 15 from being moved forward, thereby indicating to the operator that the particular stack with which the particular plunger which h has operated is connected is emptied.

Obviously, the failure of the rod 15 to move forwardly by reason of its engagement by the portion I93 will prevent the actuation of the coin mechanism. The coin, therefore, will be returned to the operator by actuating the plunger 36, or the operator may choose a commodity in one of the other stacks which have not been emptied, and the actuation of the plunger of said other stack will, of course, discharge the article therefrom.

The shaft 45 which constitutes the lower end of the vertical release member 41 is rigidly secured by welding or the like to th lower end of the channel member I 91, as shown in Fig. 3. This member I91 is of substantially channel shaped cross-section and is provided along its length at spaced intervals corresponding to the spaced positions of the merchandise platforms with horizontally extending lugs I98 which are bent from and integrally formed with the member I91. The member I91 is provided along its entire back with a strengthening channel bar I99. (See Fig. 14.)

The upper end of the vertical release member 41 comprises a threaded shaft 200, which passes through an opening 65 provided therefor in the member 63. (See Fig. 12.) The member 200 is rotatably maintained in the opening 65 by being passed through a sleeve 20I and fixedly maintained upon that sleeve by the nut 202, the Washer 203, and the nut 204, as shown in Fig. 12, and is fixedly secured to the member I91 by welding or in some other suitable and wellknown manner.

Each of the rear walls I3 of the stacks I is punched out, as shown in Fig. 13, with a plurality of horizontally extending lugs 205, a plurality of openings 206 for the pintles 20, a plurality of slots 208 of arcuate shape curving about the openings 206, each of said arcuate slots 208 5' being provided with a downwardly extending portion 209 at their lowermost ends. The openings and lugs and slots are arranged along the wall I3 in a spacing corresponding to that of the platforms II and for cooperation therewith.

The platform II are operated by a release member, generally designated by the reference character shown more clearly in Fig. 18, one of said release members being provided for the operation of each platform. Said release members comprise a plate member 2!!) rotatably attached to a hook arm ZII by means of the rivet 2I2. The hook arm 2 II is provided with an arm 2I3, which has its end vertically bent as at 2M to form a rest arm. The top edge of the hook arm ZII is provided with an integrally bent ear 2 I5, which maintains one end of a helical spring 2I6, the other end of which spring is attached to an ear 2|! integrally formed and extending perpendicularly from the plate member 2 I 0. The spring is adapted to normally urge the lower edge of the member 2II to bear against the ear M1. The end of the member 2 I I opposite to the riveted end is hooked, as at 2I8. The plate member 2I0 is further provided with a finger 2| 9 adjacent one end thereof and with a hook 220 formed from and bent perpendicularly to the plate member 2 I 0. One corner of the plate member has secured thereto one end of the pintle 20, the latter being fixedly riveted to the memher. In assembling the platforms I i within their stacks, the platform is placed in position in the stack and the pintle 20 is passed through the opening 206, with the release member 201 so positioned that the hook 220 is at the bottom and in alignment with the extension 209 of the arcuate slot 298. The pintle is then further passed through the opening 22I provided in the platform flange 222 and then through the opening 223 provided in the flange 224 formed at the opposite end of the platform II and out through the ear I 9 which is provided with an appropriate opening for receiving the free end of said pintle.

As the pintle is being arranged in place, the hook 220 will pass through the extension 209 of the slot 208 and into the slot 225 formed therefor in the flange 222 of the platform II. In this position, the entire release member 201 and the platform II have such a center of gravity that the hook 220 is slightly to the left of the extension 203, and movements of the release member 201 are communicated to the platform II and vice versa.

Now, when the platform is raised up, as in servicing the device, the hook 220 moves along all,

the slot 208 and is guided by it and the arm 2M bears-againstthe combined lugs 205 and I98, which are normally in the position shown in Fig. 12. As the hook 220 is moved'further along the slot 208 by reason of the platform II being raised: about the pintle 20, the member 2 revolves about the rivet 2I2 separating the ears 2I5 and 2H, thereby placingv the spring 2I6 under tension and causing a lifting of the hook 2I8. I The plate member 2I0, together with the rivet 2 I2imove upwards. Therefore, the arm 2M slides along the edges of the lugs 205 and I98, until it passes them, whereupon the spring 2I6 pulls the ears 2I5 and 2I'I together, snapping the arm 2| 4'to the left and to a position of rest directly on the lug I98; This will be the position of the lowermostv release member in the stack. As to those release members mounted above the lowermost release member, it will be noted from an examination of Fig. 12 that the arm 2I4 will be maintained in a position slightly raised above the lug I98, which position will be due to the fact that the hook 2I8 will be engaged by the hook 2I9 of the release member disposed directly below it, and in which position it will be maintained until such time as the release member directly below it has been actuated in a manner to be hereinafter more fully described.

From the above, it will be. apparent that the platforms II may be successively released, starting with the lowermost one which, in its original position, will have the arm 2M resting directly on the lug I98, and from which position it may be released by the actuation of the member I91. The action that will take place upon the movement of the member I9'I will be first to permit the arm 214 to drop onto the lug 205, and then when the lug I98 is returned to its original position, it will push the arm 254 off the lug 205, causing the release member 20'! together with the platform II associated therewith, to drop to the position shown for the lowermost release member in Fig. 12, discharging the merchandise which had been deposited on said platform. With the dropping of the lowermost release member, it will be noted that the release member disposed directly above it will now have its arm 2M resting directly on the lug I 98, so that on the next operation of the member I91, this release member will be acted upon in the manner hereinabove described in connection with the lowermost release member, to bring about a release of the platform II and the discharge of the merchandise supported thereon, and at the same time removing the hook 2I9 from supporting the hook 2I8 of the release member mounted directly above it. In this way it will be noted that the platforms II will be successively operated one after the other to discharge the merchandise until the last or uppermost platform has been actuated, at which time the rod I94 will drop to the dot and dash line position shown in Fig. 13, in which position it will prevent further actuation of the member I91, thus indieating to the operator that this particular stack has been emptied.

The operation of the device is as follows: Upon the depositing of a coin in the coin slot, the same will pass through the coin chute, providing it is a proper coin, and will come to rest in the coinco-ntrol mechanism between the lugs I35 and I39 of the lowermost release member Hi. The plunger 36 of the desired stack I0 may then be pulled forward by the knob 66 moving the plunger carriage 39 forward and causing the bar 29 to rotate the bottom cam member 86 of the assembly of the desired stack, providing the upper two cams of that assembly have had their movable jaws 91 arranged so as not to engage the bar 29, while the bottom cam or pivoted lever member 86 has had its jaw 91 positioned to engage the bar 29 so that one coin will operate the unlocking of the stack.

Simultaneously, with the forward movement of the carriage, the wedge 18' will engage the limiting bars 4| separating said limiting bars to prevent the operation of any of the other plungers in the manner hereinabove described. As the cam 86 rotates, it will actuate the bar H2 to the right, which movement will transmit a rotary movement to the extreme right-hand cam of the device, the arm 92 of which cam will cause its roller 93 which is in engagement with the jaws I41 to move the member I43 to the rear. The movement of the member I43 will cause it to engage the coin deposited between the lugs I and I36 and to push the same against the lug I36, forcing the member I3I outwardly to a position where the lug I35 on said member will be pushed out of the path of the member I43, thereby permitting further movement of said member I43 to complete its stroke and at the same time to permit the discharge of the coin into the chute I59.

During this forward stroke of the plunger 36, the rod 15 associated therewith has been moved forward, actuating the member I85 which, in turn, will actuate the vertical release member 41 and move the member I91 to a position where all of the lugs I98 will be removed from under the arms 2 I 4 of the release members. This movement of the lugs I98 will not affect the position of any of the release members except the lowermost one, and as to this one, the moving of the lug I98 will permit the arm 2I4 thereof to drop directly on to the lug 205, from which position it will be removed upon the return of the lug I98 to its normal position, and as already explained above, this will cause a dropping of the lowermost platform discharging the merchandise supported thereon.

It is obvious that a plurality of coins may be dropped into the mechanism and the above operation repeated as many times as there are coins for delivering an item, the price of which is one com.

If the item desired is a ten cent item, then the same will be disposed in a stack, the release for which will be operative only when two coins disposed one above the other of the proper character and denomination have been deposited in the coin chute, as shown in Fig. 9. The reason for that is, as alread explained hereinabove, that the two lowermost cam elements associated with that particular stack have been set for ac tuation by the actuating bar 29, as shown at the extreme left-hand end of Fig. 4. When these cam elements 86 are so set, it will be readily understood that the actuating bar 29 will not re lease the mechanism unless two coins have been deposited in the coin chute. Similarly, if the item to be discharged is a fifteen cent item, all three of the cam elements 86 will have to be set, as shown for example in Fig. 4 at the right-hand side thereof, and in that case the actuating bar 29 will be permitted to operate only if there had been three coins of the proper denomination and character deposited in the coin chute and disposed, as shown in Fig. 9.

Thus, it will be noted, that each of the release mechanisms for each stack may be adjusted so as to discharge merchandise therefrom upon depositing in the coin chute either one or two or tines coins, depending upon the arrangement of the cam elements 86 associated with the particular stack. By reason. of such adjustment, it will be apparent that the device which is provided with a plurality of stacks may be set so as to vend a five cent article from one stack, a ten cent article from another stack, and a fifteen cent article from still another stack.

It will also be apparent that this adjustment to vary the price of the article to be discharged from any particular stack may be made from time to time as the device is loaded, the adjustment being a highly simple one requiring only the movement of the jaws 94 and 91 of the cam element from the position shown for the upper cam element at the right-hand side of Fig. 4 to the position shown for the upper cam element at the left-hand side of Fig. 4.

The above-described may be installed in a displa and operating cabinet, as shown in Fig. 23 and Fig. 24, or it may be embodied in any more or less permanent fixture to serve its purpose, as, for example, the housing designated in Fig. l as A.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 23 and 24, the device is supported within the cabinet 226 by means of brackets 221, the support members 228 and 229, or by other similar means of like expediency. The front of the cabinet is provided with hinged portions 239 and 23 I, attached by the hinges 232 and 233 respectively, to the body of the cabinet 226. The portion 239 is provided with the coin escutcheon 234, which leads to the coin register, the locking device 235, and in the embodiment shown, a mirror or similar framed portion 235 for advertisement or the like, and swings upward when the cabinet is opened for servicing the device.

The portion 23! swings downward, and is provided with openings 231 for the plunger handles 36, windows or similar transparent portions 238 for the display or advertisement of the merchandise within the stacks, and a rectangular opening 239 to permit access to the trough 240, which either delivers merchandise from the stacks I0, or returned coins from the chutes I14 or I59, said trough 240 being attached to the bottom of the device in some manner, such as by welding.

The cabinet 226 is supported on a pedestal 24!, a shown in the illustrated embodiment, but may be equally adapted for any other type of support.

It is believed that our invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described comprising a plurality of stacks for supporting commodities therein, operating means associated with each of said stacks for causing said commodities to be delivered from said stack one by one and normally held inoperative, a coin-control mechanism associated with said device for releasing said operating means, means for connecting each of said operating means with said coin-control mechanism including a plurality of pivoted lever 

